Tag: ISO

You finally did it. Goodbye point and shoot cameras with fixed lenses, bogus “digital zoom” and little idiot-proof icons in place of real settings. Goodbye sub-par images and limited functionality. You’ve finally entered the world of DSLR photography.

If you’re like a lot of people, the euphoria wore off as soon as you picked up your DSLR’s manual. That thing is like a brick with pages. Flipping through it is an exercise in uselessness and sitting down to read it is something you might have time to do after retirement.

So, maybe you put the manual away and sheepishly set your camera to “Auto.” And maybe that’s where it’s been ever since.

Today, I’ll show you what the most common settings on your camera do, and how to use them effectively.Continue Reading »

When you are photographing during the sunniest part of the day you are combating two major issues: The first is overexposure and the second is harsh shadows.

First, let’s tackle overexposure. Overexposure occurs when too much light gets into your camera and washes out your photo. To combat overexposure, it’s best to shoot in full manual mode because it will give you the most control. As you adjust each setting, keep an eye on your light meter. It’s going to give you a ballpark as you change your settings and will be your first indication if your shot is going be overexposed.Continue Reading »

In low light situations, the flash is usually your “go to” solution. But what if you can’t use it? You may be in a “no flash” zone in a museum or aquarium, or it may not be socially appropriate for flash usage. Your best friend probably wouldn’t appreciate you flashing away like paparazzi while she says her wedding vows. It is still possible to take a good picture in low light conditions without using your flash. It requires a bit more work on your part, but you will likely be pleased with the result. Flashes create unflattering light, flatten digital images, and cause reflections off glass display cases so it may not be the best solution anyway.Continue Reading »

Are you stuck shooting solely in auto mode? You have a sophisticated DSLR, but you are working on auto, letting your camera make all of the decisions for you. Besides choosing and framing your subject, you have no control over any of the elements that can make your pictures better or add an artistic flair. It is time to branch out! If you check out your dial, you will most likely see M, A, S, and P. At this point, a great first step is to turn the dial to P and explore the new world that opens up when shooting in program mode. Program mode refers to programmed exposure or programmed auto, and it is a great place to learn. It is not the same as auto! Your camera still makes critical decisions for you, but you have control over ISO, white balance, and flash. I will explain how you can ease into using more of the incredible features your camera has to offer!Continue Reading »

Do you know what nirvana looks like to a digital camera photographer? High ISO photos with low noise. Until recently, that’s been almost impossible – as you increase the ISO further, more and more noise appears in your image. However, cameras have started to arrive in the consumer market that sport this wonderful feature. And as I’ll explain, being able to shoot with low noise at a high ISO will dramatically increase the options available to you as a photographer.Continue Reading »

Often times, the photographs we feel the most connected to are simple. They freeze time, a moment as it is, instead of the contrived editorial work of fashion shoots and perfume ads. Babies sitting on a shiny hardwood floor, kids in an intense game of flag football, this season’s first snowfall. These photos are so easy to connect with because they are honest portrayals of life. This is called lifestyle photography. Lifestyle photography is a genre of photography which serves the purpose of documenting life honestly and artistically by capturing authentic, usually candid moments as they happen. What that actually translates to in regards to actual photographs depends on you the photographer and your artistic vision.Continue Reading »

Concerts are a symbiotic experience, each one unique to the music, the musicians, and the audience. The reciprocal nature appeals to us on a visceral level. It’s a way to connect with people over a shared interest and at times, a shared adrenaline rush. Of course, it is then natural, to want to capture the natural high only found when your heart is in sync with the bass drum. As photographers our first instinct is to bring the camera along and take the experience home with us in the form of photographs. Concert photography is a particularly difficult medium because of the varied and rapidly changing lighting situations, masses of people, and quickly moving musicians. Here are the basics for concert photography that will live up to your memories.Continue Reading »

Your camera has three primary settings that are interconnected: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. You can’t adjust one without adjusting the other, because each one is fundamental to the way your camera captures light, which is ultimately what it uses to make an exposure. Smaller apertures mean slower shutter speeds, or higher ISOs. Larger apertures mean faster shutter speeds, or lower ISOs. So how do you work out what settings to use?Continue Reading »

Light! It’s the single most important element in any photograph. Without light, you’ve got no image. Without the right light, you’ve got a bad image. In photography, light is everything.

And with that in mind, I’m going to tell you how to shoot photos in the dark.

But wait, didn’t you just say that light is everything? Yes, I did. And the reason that you can still take great photos in the dark is because – with the possible exception of a very deep cave or a crevasse at the bottom of the ocean – there’s really no such thing as “dark” here on Earth.Continue Reading »

If you own a camera, you’ve probably at least heard the term “aperture.” But your understanding of what that means may depend a lot on what kind of camera you own, and how you use it. Today, I’ll explain exactly how the aperture setting affects your images, and what aperture settings to use in which situations.Continue Reading »

Want to create a romantic or dramatic mood in your next photo? Try candlelight as a lighting choice. Candle lit photos are absolutely beautiful when taken correctly. As this is a low light situation, there are some tricks to make sure your photos are correctly exposed. Read on for some tricks for taking great photos by candlelight.Continue Reading »

Intermediate Portraits are one of the most common photo ops out there. As a photographer, you’ll likely be asked at one point or another by family or friends to take their photo. Some photographers are naturals at capturing people while others freeze when the person is in front of the camera. They’re not sure how to pose them, how to find flattering light, or how to make the subject comfortable. After all, why should the subject be relaxed if your brow is sweating?

Take a deep breath, relax, and read these 5 tips for shooting great portraits before you agree to the challenge of a portrait shoot.Continue Reading »

In the days before point and shoot cameras – back when SLR cameras didn’t have any automatic features at all, everyone who wanted to take photographs had to understand the basic principles of exposure. Film was expensive and you just couldn’t afford to waste a shot on a guess, so you had to really understand how your camera functioned and what settings you needed to use to ensure a correct exposure.

Today we have the great luxury of the “auto” setting, and because of that a lot of us have gotten lazy. So lazy, in fact, that there are some people who love photography, own DSLRs and consider themselves to be photographers on at least some level that still don’t understand those very basic principles of exposure. And for those of us who do have a basic understanding, a quick review is never a bad thing. Ready?Continue Reading »

Unless you exclusively shoot landscapes and still-lifes, you know that photography is an art of capturing life in motion. People are always moving – their faces change expression, their interest shifts from one part of a scene to another, they walk away, they run off or they simply stop being interesting. If you’re going to capture that once-in-a-lifetime moment, you need to be quick. And for many of us, that means there just isn’t enough time to mess around with dials and settings.

Contrary to popular belief, though, you don’t need to go fully automatic to achieve that faster-than-mere-mortals ability to capture the moment as it happens. Fortunately, modern camera manufacturers give us a range of settings to choose from, from auto to full manual and several in between. But when should you make that switch from auto and what mode should you try first?Continue Reading »

Digital photography has done a lot of great things for us. It’s made film unnecessary, which means that individual shots no longer cost anything and you are now free to take as many pictures as you want without fear of wasted film. A related benefit is that you no longer need to choose a specific film to put in your camera–if you want to shoot at a higher ISO there’s no need to go out and purchase that high ISO film–instead, you just select the correct ISO in your camera’s settings. And the same is true for black and white vs. color. If your camera allows it, you can switch back and forth between black and white on the fly, or you can do as many conversions as you like in post-processing. But there are still some things you need to remember to ensure that your digital black and white images are as beautiful as the black and white film photos taken decades ago.Continue Reading »